Police are failing to solve more than 90 per cent of crime, the highest on record, according to official figures.
The Home Office data show that the proportion of recorded crimes remaining unsolved by police has increased from 74.8 per cent in 2015 when officials started compiling the figures to 90.2 per cent in the year to March 2023.
The analysis of official figures, by the Labour party, also revealed that more than 6,000 criminals a day were getting away with offences as police failed to identify any suspects in the crimes.
Last year there were 2.25 million cases that were dropped because the police failed to find a suspect, meaning more than 6,000 a day were not investigated.
That figure included more than 30,000 sex offences, 330,00 violent crimes, 1.5 million thefts, and almost 320,000 cases of criminal damage and arson.
Crimes where no suspect was identified represented 40 per cent of all cases, and was a 250,000 increase in the number of crimes dropped for the same reason last year.
Agreement to investigate all crimes
The data follows the announcement this week by police chiefs of an agreement to investigate all crimes where there are “reasonable lines of enquiry”.
However, Labour claimed the guidance amounted to an admission that the Government had been failing to guarantee the basics in policing for the last decade.
Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said: “Under the Conservatives, criminals have never had it so good. After 13 years of reckless Tory inaction on policing and crime, more criminals are getting off and more victims are being let down, and it is our communities paying the price.
“Instead of pursuing justice for victims or protecting communities, the Tories have made our towns and cities safe havens for thousands more criminals who just aren’t being caught.”
Labour has pledged to put 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs back on Britain’s streets if it wins the election as well as tackling the shortage of 7,000 detectives with new direct recruitment schemes. It has set targets of halving the level of violence against women and girls and incidents of knife crime.
‘Labour are soft on crime’
The figures also showed a trebling of the average number of days taken to charge a suspect since 2016, from 14 days to 44 days as well as a record 1.6 million people withdrawing from cases in the last year alone.
However, Chris Philp, policing minister, said: “Everyone knows Labour are soft on crime and soft on criminals. Where Labour are in power, crime is over a third higher than Conservative-run areas, and Sir Keir Starmer whipped his MPs to vote against tougher sentences for rapists and murderers, as well as campaigning to keep dangerous foreign criminals in the UK.
“Under the Conservatives, adult rape convictions have increased by two thirds over the last year, dangerous criminals are being locked up for longer, and there are now over 20,000 new police officers helping to keep our streets safe.”
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.